Tai Tuivasa Opens Up On What’s At Stake Ahead Of UFC Perth: “My Fu*king Ass Is On The Line”
Tai Tuivasa heads into his next fight with his future in the balance.
Tuivasa is set to face Louie Sutherland in a heavyweight bout in front of his home crowd at UFC Perth this Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia. The 33-year-old Australian was originally scheduled to square off against Sean Sharaf, but the matchup fell through after Sharaf withdrew from the Fight Night card due to a fractured nose.
“Bam Bam” comes into this fight in the toughest stretch of his career, stuck in a six-fight losing skid and facing a must-win situation with his back against the wall.
Tai Tuivasa Acknowledges Career Pressure Before UFC Perth
At UFC Perth media day, Tai Tuivasa spoke candidly about his recent struggles, admitting he understands the magnitude of the moment while confidently backing himself to bounce back in this fight.
“Definitely, my fu*king ass is on the line,” Tuivasa said. “It’s probably been on the line a lot of the time, but I fu*king put asses in the seats, so it is what it is. I feel good, and I’m going to go out there and do what ‘Bam Bam’ does — in ‘Bam Bam’ style. And not fu*king lose, d*ckheads.”
“Bam Bam” further confessed that enduring such a prolonged skid has been tough to deal with.
“It gets sh*tter the more you lose, that is for sure. When you get beat six times, come on — I mean, I’m competing at the top level, but it is still a sh*t feeling. I laid my grave, and I have to lie in it. It is what it is. I’ve put the work in, and I’ve got to go out and do my thing.”
Tai Tuivasa most recently competed at UFC 325, where he fell short in a unanimous decision against Tallison Teixeira. The last time he had his hand raised was back at UFC 271 in February 2022, when he knocked out Derrick Lewis in the opening round.
Since that win, the Australian heavyweight has been on a six-fight losing run, leaving him at 8-9 in the UFC and 15-9 overall, with victories over Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai, and Stefan Struve on his resume.
